Kosuke, a new naruto character
by Sabaku no Karura
Summary: Kosuke was born at the bottom of the world, in the land of ice at the south pole. Soon he will grow to be a ninja and defend his village, Shimogakure, just as his parents did. But there are disturbing differences between Kosuke and the others in his town.
1. Kumi

* * *

Kumi 

The little boy turned his head over on his overstuffed pillow. His head swam with nausea; his body ached from yesterday's hard work. The rough and irritating covers rubbed up and down against his body as his mother twisted and turned, in her sleep, on the ground next to him. The corner of the coarse blanket had uncovered his feet and offered both to the biting draftiness of the room. He lay there, barely awakened by his mah-mee's tossing, feeling his mind's urgings to return to rest. He too wanted to fall back to sleep. Yet it seemed his call to retreat from the world would not be answered, had his feet been covered, his light sleep would have ended still as the remains of yesterday pulled at his thoughts. The memory of it all still hung in the air; his father's commanding shouts and all of the confusion of the village. While he and his family rushed in and out of their house on vital errands, villagers watched and worried calling doctors and nurses, all of which seemed busy in other areas of the town.

He was used to gathering leaves and herbs in the mornings and afternoons for his family's wellbeing, he remembered taking the twisting path through the snow, remembered the pleasant smells and colors of the patches of herbs beyond the icy hills. He always took his time on the small journey, watching the clouds and savoring the brisk breezes that glanced his cheeks, so much so that he often returned late to his home and found himself in the doorway of an angry but forgiving man who would pull him inside and laugh when the boy offered his crazy excuses. The smells and faces were familiar to him and brought him sweet sentiments about those peaceful typical days, the days before yesterday. For the paths he traveled yesterday, over the hill to the thicket, were not the same as the ones he walked on those sweet and friendly days, or they did not feel the same. A blizzard was raging around the village and the snow was blinding. The air seemed icier and thick with a fresh and painful sense of worry. While he toured through the frosty knolls he couldn't concentrate on the cheery path, his father's words swarmed in his head and a knot congealed in his throat. The moment his hands clasped the weeds he uprooted them and rushed urgently back to his mother's side.

He had tried so hard to muddle through his mah-mee's screams, as his father told him to. She frightened him, and though he knew she couldn't possibly have meant it he was forced to recall the stinging bruise he bore on his cheek from the unnoticed hand that swung into his face. He had struggled to feed her the medicines she needed, but he could not evade all of mah-mee's thrashings.

For now, she slept next to him on the cold dirt floor of their house, cradling her newfound sleep with an eerie silence. After her screams and writhing she was drowned in medication and did not stir more than a slow wriggle of discomfort. Still the distressing memories crept into the corners of his thought and shot feelings of unease through his aching body.

Though his brain cried for sleep, the morning birds persuaded the boy to rise and admit to morning's beckoning. So he pulled himself to a stand and shook out the sleepiness from his head. He was sure it was going to be a long day and he needed to ready himself starting with his appearance. That was always the way he started his days, then again, that was the way everyone in the Zuka clan was supposed to start his or her days, with a strict set of cleansing tools a Zuka kept in his pouch on his daywear he would neatly fix his hair and wash his face and body. So the young boy stood and looked for his wear. Now that he stood it was easy to see that his age couldn't have been past eight, yet he stood tall for an eight-year-old, perhaps four feet, five inches off of the ground. His long straight snow-white hair, braided hastily for the night, lay along his back until it dropped off just below his waist. His pale skin could blend easily into the icy cliffs around the village, and to an outsider he would have seemed a ghost. Zuka prided themselves in their pale white appearance; their hair and their skin bore the beautiful pallor like a flag. It was even possible, though somewhat rare, that a Zuka child would bear white eyes, with only a small ring around their iris to convey they even had seeing eyes. It was good luck to be born with white eyes, though it caused a deal of problems with eyesight, and villagers who did have eyes with such paleness washed their eyes with special medicinal waters to clear the clouds.

This young Zuka bore no such eyes. He wandered over to the corner of the room and scooped up his garments off of a small cushion, which lay neatly in front of their low dining table. This room wouldn't traditionally be slept in, but there were old Zuka tales of good spirits that comforted the ill. The spirits were supposed to stay in the dining room, and so that was where his father had the boy sleep. Yet, the old dining room was the only room in the house that they had not yet leveled for flooring, so he had laid out one of their last mats for his mah-mee's comfort, and slept next to her on the hard cold floor. After he took the attire from the pillow he hurried to a rack near the door and grabbed a long white cloak from it's shelf and quickly wrapped it around his thin figure. Once he had fastened the shroud around his shoulders and pulled over the hood, he turned to take one last check on his mother, before sliding the front door open and shutting it tightly behind him, against the harsh cold wind.

With only twenty days separating them from the two months of attack from the bone village, the road he stood on now looked only faintly similar to the decorative cobblestone path it had once been. The shops and houses were all mostly dirt floored now, and the worst were made of scraps from previously standing structures. The bone village warriors had found some sort of way to attack through the ground, causing most damage to be sighted on the paths and floors of the village and it's houses. The main road was still boldly marked with strewn cobblestones and the hospital's plumbing had surprisingly survived the battle, so there was clear hope in the reconstruction. The warriors from the bone village had been remarkably unprepared and were easily driven away once their leaders had been executed, but the wear that the battle had caused was still visible as he ran through the streets over to the bathhouse.

The Zuka had the bathhouse as one of the first buildings to be reconstructed, as their appearance and hygiene were so important to them. Its structure had remained, but the plumbing needed to be fixed before it was suitable. The house had a grand structure and beautiful columns that seemed to twist up around its sturdy frame. Zuka in the village were all built a personal washroom in the bathhouse, which was to be visited at least twice a day, for cleansing. However, the bathhouse was visited by all of the villagers, not only the Zuka, seeing as it had been the only main source of plumbing in the village since the attack.

The attack itself had been a minor thing; the village warriors were at an elite terrain advantage out here in the icy wilderness and easily fended off attackers. The village of Bones was well known for leveling cities and rooting their own towns into the remains. When his own village had caught wind of the upcoming attack, they made sure that wouldn't happen. The warriors of his village were highly skilled and could take on any opponent, especially if they were not accustomed to the harsh climates of the land of ice. When the village had first heard of the attack, they barely believed that it was real, since the land of ice wasn't even mentioned in geography books in the other lands of the earth. The village name was "Shimogakure", meaning Village Hidden in the Frost; it was a village of mostly warriors and a large bunch of common people who took refuge there. They were highly secluded from the world and were almost never involved in attacks or trade negotiations. Nonetheless, Shimogakure was not caught off guard.

The young boy ran along the road with his garments in hand until he stood in the shadow of the bathhouse and paused for a moment before rushing through the tall doors. Inside, the structure was even more impressive, whales and waterfowl, and all sorts of marine creatures were engraved in the pale surface of the high stonewalls. Giant fur seals and Snow petrels dove through water and air on the smooth face. The main hall of the house held a well and many benches, and was kept entirely spotless of all litter and kept a sort of peacefulness locked in its frame. Yet today it did not feel like the same house that he and his cousin had always gone to, running through with smiles and buckets to fill for both chores and pranks. Not the same place that his best friend from the academy dared him to go into the female wing. It bore only a faint sense of familiarity as he rushed through the halls and doorways.

Once he had made it to his own washroom, he slid open the wooden door and locked it behind himself. The he walked slowly over to a mirror, which covered a whole wall of his washroom, and studied his appearance. He really did need a wash. His cheek was still reddened where the stinging bruise made its presence known, and he would have to apply a makeup until it healed. His hair was shiny with sweat from the uneasy night and all of his work yesterday. But what bothered him the most were his tired, bloodshot eyes, he couldn't hide it, and he hoped that they would return to normal before he left the room. He removed the cloak from his slender body and hung it on a hook next to the mirror, and then he pulled of his nightclothes and undergarments and laid them on the tile floor near the sink. Now he could see the full of it all, his scratched up arms and legs, and the cuts on his hands from the weeds' sharp thorns. On the far side of the room was a large brown and beige tub made of glazed wood and porcelain. It was around seven feet wide, seven feet long, and it had a few levels on the inside, for raised seating, but could go down to exactly four feet. It stood apart from the walls and could be entered from any side by the use of a stool that stood nearby. Above the bathtub was a spigot that could be used for a shower if the tub was empty. He went over to the tub and turned a faucet knob to fill it with water. Once it was brimming with the cold water he took some crumpled and powdered leaves from the pouch on his daywear and sprinkled the pieces into the water.

The young boy put his hands on the sides of the tub and concentrated. Soon after, the water began to steam and its herbal contents dissolved into the now hot tub water. This was something that all of the Zuka clan members could do, a special genial talent, called a "Kekkei Genkai", or bloodline limit. With practice, a Zuka could formulate and maintain almost any temperature in their body or their surroundings, precisely how the village could survive at the bottom of the world on their frost covered land of ice. The small boy pulled over a short stool and a little table filled with soaps, special shampoos, and many different types of conditioners. Then he stood on the stool and stepped into the tub letting his body take in the sharp heat. He sat there, unmoving for a long while, encouraging the waters to relax his tense muscles before he cleansed himself. He untied the hair band on his braid and let it undo itself as he sank his body into the tub. The best part about taking a bath was that it took less energy to heat the water than he gained from it, especially since the tub was designed to hold heat.

Once his hair was soaked and his body was relaxed he took the soap from the table and stood rubbing it over his feet and his hands. Then he replaced it and traded for another soap, which he applied to his joints. He took another and rubbed it upon his face, and did the same using many other soaps for the rest of his body. The soaps soothed and cleansed the different types of tissues under and at the surface of his skin and gave them a healthy appearance. When he had completed the soaps application he conditioned his hair only a small amount and pulled a brush through the wet silky locks. Then he poured a shampoo on his head and massaged it into his scalp and tresses, and then he let it soak in while he combined two of the other shampoos into a fragrant mixture. He made sure that the perfume would mix without composing an unpleasant, or unusual smell.

The aroma rose into the air and gave the boy what little comfort a beautiful fragrance could offer. He dunked his head into the hot water and rinsed the shampoo from his hair. Then he conditioned his hair with the same combination of fragrances and took his time pulling the brush through his hair. The tangles were unknotted by the brush and he rinsed his head again, once satisfied. Then the boy stood in the already cooling waters and unlocked the drain and pulled a towel from the table without letting a single drop of water hit the floor. He wrapped it around himself and soaked up all the large collections of water before drying the less observable damp parts. His hair dried from the heat he sent through it, almost immediately. Now that it was unbraided, it lay a good four inches below his waist before dropping off. He brushed it gently and left it loose around his shoulders while he waited for the tub to empty.

Once the tub had drained completely he dried his legs and feet and stepped out of the bathtub. The floor was cold but it didn't bother him as he went over to the sink to more properly wash his face. Then he took out a few bottles and spread some of their contents across his face to prevent dryness. Today, he did not need to do anything about his nose or eyebrows other than brush the eyelashes and eyebrow hairs into position. His eyes were beginning to return to normal already, but the bruise, reddened from the heat, was still noticeable. First things first, though, he would have to apply some sort of ointment to his scratches and cuts.

He bent down to open a cabinet under the sink and pulled out some ointment and salve, and began to apply. The cuts stung from the herbal mixtures but he had been taught that it was necessary to apply for there to be no infections. When the ointment was smothered over the wounds and bruises, he let it dry and began to paint his nails with a polish to improve their sturdiness.

Once he was done the Zuka child walked back to the mirror to smoothen makeup over the discolored bruise, then he turned to his day clothes and retrieved them from the floor. He walked over to a small trough in the back corner of the room and proceeded to wash them before laying the garments out and heating them to dryness.

He slipped the garbs over his figure and fastened the belts once he had stepped into his pants. The mellow colors off his robes emphasized the graceful presence he now held. To any outsider, he was a stunning sight; a pretty white Zuka child clad in their day garments was always a vision. Once he was grown he would find a more suitable style to convey a grown man's appearance, but for now it would be difficult to tell the boy apart from the Zuka maidens in the village.

Satisfied with his look, the boy took a different white cloak from one of the hooks near the mirror and rushed from the washroom into the grand halls of the bathhouse. He stepped gently, but quickly, through the luxurious passages, until he reached the main hall. When he glanced up at the clock he pressed faster out the door to hurry home; he hadn't known it would take so long to prepare himself, he had taken almost an hour; twenty minutes longer than he normally did. From the corner of his eye he saw his cousin trying to catch up with him as he bolted through the door.

"Kumi! Where are you going so fast?" He shouted.

"Back home! I left my Kaa-san there and I need to check on her." The boy replied.

Having finally caught up with his cousin, the new and shorter Zuka boy lowered his voice to a more appropriate level; "You're always in a rush, Kumi. You need to chill out. Can't we talk? I want to hear about your Kaa-san, Kumi."

"She's fine, Yasu. I think the doctor is gonna come to our house." The taller boy answered.

"Because you didn't do a good enough job, right Kumi?" Upon this, both the boys slowed to a halt and Kumi put his hands on his hips glaring playfully into his itoko's teasing eyes.

"I did great! You saw me! I'm gonna be a great ninja!" He said and he rushed away before his cousin could stop him.

Down the cobblestone road he rushed to his house where he saw his grandmother standing at the door. He hurried to her side and looked up at her after a reverent bow.

"Baa-sama. Papa would want you to come in." He quickly offered, and he unlocked the door for her to step inside. "Mah-mee is sleeping in the dining room. I left her here while I got ready, but the medicine is supposed to keep her asleep and she hasn't made a sound since yesterday."

"Your Kaa-san should sleep until night, that's what the medicine is supposed to induce." She said softly. She took a step into the house and looked around for a while before noticing the woman; asleep under the brown blanket not to far in. "She does not look well. Yet I think she is better than yesterday."

"Where is Jiji-sama?" He whispered.

"He is at the market with your tou-san. There is no need for whispering, Kumi; she is sound asleep." She said. "Come, your tou-san told me you would need a cook."

"Arigato, Baa-sama." Kumi replied with a small smile.

The old but still beautiful lady walked quietly further into the house and through a doorway into the kitchen. She made her way to the countertop, and where the next square of countertop would have been a metal rack could be seen, suspended above a large decorative bin. The bin appeared to be for catching ashes, though it was difficult to see inside of it, since the metal rack covered it. She placed a cloth-covered basket on the counter and unfolded the fabric to reveal several raw fish, which she placed gently on the rack. She then placed her hands lightly upon the front bar of the rack and the three fish began to sizzle.

"Your tou-san told me about your bravery the other day." She said.

"My bravery?" Kumi said, blushing mildly.

"Through the storm, of course." She praised. "He told me that he was so busy barking commands, and worrying about your Kaa-san, that he forgotten to thank you for all of your hard work."

"When I see him. I'll thank him too." Kumi replied lightheartedly.

She smiled, "I believe him. You're always doing the craziest things to help around the village. Your family is very proud of you, especially your itoko. Why… you should here him bragging about you. 'He's not more than nine, he's not even a white-eye, and he's been going out into storms, to do his part for Shimogakure and his family.' That's how they all say it."

"Not Jiji-sama." Kumi sighed, looking around the room.

"No, he's got pride all right. Wait till you're older and he'll be fawning over you just the same."

While his Grandmother cooked the food, Kumi watched her sprinkle spices and salt from time to time, in between turning each of the fish. In sooner than five minutes, the kitchen was filled with the delicious smell of grilled fish, and Kumi watched her set out plates on the small table they had in the kitchen. Then she moved to the basket and lifted off the cloth that the fish were on, exposing a batch of freshly made rice-cakes and a small bunch of cold vegetables. She set the basket on the table and turned to take the fish from the rack. She followed this motion, by setting the fish on a cutting board and using a knife to separate the tasty and healthy parts from the lesser appetizing.

Once she laid all of their brunch out on the table, Kumi rushed to a closet and pulled out two cushions for them to sit at the table. He laid them both in their respective areas and waited for his Baa-sama to seat herself before he too sat.

"Ikidakimasu." He chimed, and she nodded before they both started eating their food.

Kumi downed his meal quickly, stood, and after a bow he picked up his plate and nearly threw it into the wooden bin they used for holding unclean dishes, before rushing to the front door. He hastily threw a cloth bag over his shoulder and slid open the door, hurrying outside with another quick thank you.

He ran down the path from his house and turned in the opposite direction of the bathhouse, but before he could take another step he bumped into a tall man and drew back immediately. No one ever came from the way he was headed; it was a path that leads to his family's private bed of herbs. Only his Mah-mee took the path to garden and prune the larger batches of plants, and even she wouldn't be going since she took ill. Upon looking up he saw a very tall man with dark hair and a look of concern on his face, Kumi recognized him as one of the local doctors. Kumi looked him over, wondering why he was there, when he noticed his Tou-san standing at the man's side, and not to far off, his Jiji-san stood giving him a harsh look of disapproval. His tou-san grabbed onto Kumi's shoulder and turned the boy roughly to look directly into his eyes. Kumi couldn't help but jolt at the rough treatment, he almost felt as though he would cry.

"Kumi. Show me the herbs you used on Kaa-san." He cried desperately.

"Tou-san?" Kumi whispered anxiously.

"Go!" His tou-san shouted. He turned Kumi back in the direction of the house and shoved him forward. Kumi ran to the house and pulled a basket off of a bench on their porch showing its contents to his father. Kana took the basket forcefully from his son's grip and held it up to the doctor who peered inside.

"Tou-chan?" Kumi whispered again, trying to choke back tears. The man examined the basket and looked up at Kana, he shook his head.

"No." Kumi's father choked. He shook his head back and forth before standing slowly. Kumi watched his father, but Kana's expression never changed. After he was fully standing he slid the door open violently and rushed over to his wife's side. He shook her forcefully, but there was no response. Kumi's grandmother walked into the room, looking at them inquisitively.

"Daddy!" Kumi screamed, "Mommy's dead?!" The doctor hurried over to Kana's side and knelt down next to him. He pulled Kana away from the sickly lady and examined her closely. He put his hand up to her mouth and then two fingers to her wrist.

"She's alive. She's breathing just barely, and her pulse is there." He said, trying to be calm in the midst of Kana's heavy anxious breathing and Kumi's sobs. Kumi's grandmother had her hand to her mouth and was shuddering in the kitchen doorway, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank God! Is she going to live?" Kana breathed.

The doctor shook his head, "I don't know. Those were the wrong herbs. She was given far too many of the wrong kind, when you get too much of that type of plant in your system it puts you to sleep, for good."

"Will she?" Kana whispered.

"I can't be sure. I don't know how much she had."

All four of Kumi's elders turned to him.

They watched as the young and frightened boy ran out the door.


	2. Baby

Baby

Kana-san knew Kumi was going to run, even before he had taken his first step. The boy couldn't possibly have withstood the shame. Though Kumi was young, Kana could sense that the shame of killing kindred could tear his son to shreds. He stood immediately and rushed to the door calling for his son to return. Kana couldn't even see the boy anymore.

"Kumi-chan! Kumi, come back!" he screamed, "Help her! You can help her! Please, Kumi, save your brother!" Kumi's Jiji-san walked slowly over to Kana's side. He clung to the doorpost for support and let his head rest against its rough surface. "Please… please…" he wept through his clenched teeth. Jiji-san put his hand on Kana's shoulder.

"You said the baby died."

Kumi kept running. He didn't look back. He couldn't. He had shamed his family enough. He heard his father's cries, but he didn't listen to them, instead he focused all of his senses on escape; listening only to the swift patting of his own feet as they hit the hard icy ground. He had already left the road to avoid being seen. It was easy to escape from the village; there were no walls, and it was difficult to find anyone in white midst the snow, let alone a small Zuka. That was probably why his father chose not to go looking for him.

Kumi heard the calls of his father fading into nothingness while he ran. The village passed from his hindsight, but he didn't slow his pace. Kumi wasn't all together sure where he was going, but he knew where he wasn't going: home.

His legs carried him farther and farther until his lungs forced him to quit. When he finally did stop running, his steps became erratic and he fell onto his face. He must have ran for at least four hours straight, because he couldn't get up, and his lungs were iced over. What little breath that came into his lungs was bitter and frozen. He tried to pull himself up, but his body was shaking too much; it wasn't a wise idea for him to be running so far after such long and stressful days. All he could do was lie there, trying to heat his body against the cold. Freezing gusts blew snow into his mouth and eyes, he would have been covered with it by now had he not insisted on heating himself so much.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know how to get back home from where he lay. He could see nothing for miles and miles out past the thin incessant snow. He told himself that he couldn't go back anyway. He had shamed his family, maybe even his village, if she were to die. He hated shame he hated death, yet he faced both.

"Mama?" He whispered. "Mama!"

Inari trudged happily through the snow; it was the first time in a while that she was able to get out for a walk, and it was a well-needed walk indeed. The village wasn't too far off from where her footprints led, and since it was a clear day, she could easily follow them back later. She was accustomed to the cold, and ever since she had been pregnant the colder it was, the better. Some days she would be sweating so much she would have to ask her son, Kumi, to bring a good bowl of crushed ice to the house so she could relieve herself of the heat. True, she could use her Kekkei Genkai to cool off, but the doctor had told her specifically not to, and there was no way she was going to jepordize her baby's health.

A few birds called to one another overhead. It was quite possible that they knew she was pregnant; many animals did, even if the lady was only a few weeks into pregnancy. Inari herself was already six months pregnant, and she showed it well enough. Sometimes her husband and son would kid her about not all of it being a baby, especially when she got hungry; when she was hungry she could eat like a pig. Then again, they always poked fun at her; she was one of the only female Zuka that could withstand jokes about her appearance, she was perfectly content with how she looked.

Having been out for maybe an hour was a big feat for her, considering she only left the house to go to the bathhouse to cleanse herself. Even her sleepwalking couldn't get her out of the house anymore, the doors and windows were locked, and she had never opened a locked door in her sleep. She had been so desperate to leave the house that she had even entertained the idea of pretend sleepwalking, just so she'd have an excuse if she got caught. It was fun to go to the bathhouse, especially in the later stages of pregnancy, when her husband had to go with her to help her. He would have to walk with her, through the female wing until they reached her personal washroom, which happened to be the furthest one in and the highest one up in the building. She would laugh at his embarrassment, saying that the only female he would have to impress was his wife. Now though, as she walked through the snow, she felt like she wouldn't trade this stroll for three bathhouse days, maybe four, but not three.

The cool breeze blew her hair gently from side to side, and she took in a few good breaths of it. Soon she would have to return back to the house; people would be worried about her, of course. She had snuck out, too, so that would probably increase their anxiety.

"They can stand a few more minutes." She mumbled to herself.

It seemed that they really didn't know what was good for her. Being out here in the cool breezes was exactly what she needed. Of course, being sick and all, she listened to the doctor for his advice and tried to take it as best she could, but he couldn't deny her this walk; being sick during pregnancy was common anyway, this wouldn't hurt.

Another large flock of birds passed overhead, she could tell they didn't sound quite as cheery as before though. They almost seemed to be warning each other of something.

All at once the icy valley in the distance was infested with giant bones, they protruded from the snow twenty feet in the air! Inari's body seized up she watched in horror as the bones began to arise closer and closer until one suddenly appeared from the ground right near her feet. The massive bone curved sharply and struck her up against the head in its split-second journey into the sky. Her body collapsed on the ice and her eyes shut tight, and suddenly there was only black.

When she did awake, she could feel a tight pressure on her arm and a cloth around her mouth. She could hear voices, but their words, all blurred together, were impossible to decipher. Her eyes were open, but they saw nothing, there was no blindfold on her face, and she could hear the flames of a fire right in front of her face.

It had never occurred to her that she could get into such unexpected danger, on a small walk away from the village. She struggled to clear her senses, tried to listen for her husband's voice. Her nose smelt the choking scent of blood and smoke; on her arm she could feel the hand of some unknown man holding her tightly shoving her through a crowd probably with the torch in his hand. She could also feel that her hands were tightly knotted behind her back. She could taste the dry fabric in her mouth; with it there was no way she could talk. Yet what bothered her the most was that she could not hear any familiar voices, and her eyes, her eyes were not catching any of the torch's light.

With a newfound fear-provoked energy she burst into screaming, but just as soon as she did she was forced onto the ground headfirst. Her hair was pulled to bring her head up, and she could hear that they were separated from the crowds by some sort of wall or tent. For a moment she feared that she might be raped, but the man showed no intentions of doing so. The space quieted of voices, with the exceptions of the outdoor crowds.

"The doctor checked her, she's pregnant." The man holding her said.

"Where did you find her? You didn't blind her already did you?" questioned another man.

"She's nothing royal, I made sure of it. No armies will be coming to get us. I only blinded her when I discovered that." The man answered.

"Where did you find her?" the man in command seemed to be relieved.

"She found her in the valley, she was walking like a rat into a trap." He replied. "Should they begin the process?"

Almost before Inari heard the word 'Yes' the man holding her pulled her to her feet and forced her back into the crowds.

Two months after Inari's kidnapping, she was found at night on the streets of the village by the village Kage. He took her from the ground and rushed to the medical center to present her to the doctors and nurses. He ran along the ruined path dodging the bones that a few of the villagers had been trying to remove that morning. It was two days after the battle was declared Shimogakure's victory, but the only family that had experienced an unreturned family loss had visited him. The husband of Inari told him the she had been gone since the day of the attack and hadn't been found. He himself had sent out searchers but found nothing. Now, here she was, lying in the middle of the streets without a single way that she could have evaded the guards in her late stage of pregnancy.

He burst through the doors and the nurses and doctors rushed to his side with a stretcher. He immediately laid her upon it and explained the situation to the medics. She was rushed to an emergency room and the doctors examined her thoroughly. When they concluded that there was no sustained damage other than a substance induced blindness, the Kage was stunned and asked for them to awake Inari from her unconsciousness. One of the nurses took a tiny cloth, dampened with a pungent substance and lay it under Inari's nose. She rolled over in the hospital cot, away from the sharp odor and mumbled something upon awakening.

"The baby… they put it in the baby…" Her first words were weak and stressed.

"What? What, Inari, what did they put in the baby?"

"A… a monster. The five tails."


	3. Mother

Mother

"You told us the baby was dead, segare-san." Jiji-san whispered again. Kana pulled away from his father quickly, and covered his face with his hands. "Kana-san, the baby is dead, no? Tell us the baby is dead, like you told us before."

"I lied!" He snapped impatiently, while pulling away. They weren't going to go easy on him for this, not while Jiji-san was here.

"Segare-san, you can't lie about things like that. The whole village believed you. If your wife survives, she wont want to give birth to a stillborn, but especially not a monster." He said calmly.

"She told me to lie! I didn't want the baby to live either."

"Then it isn't too late, the girl still has a few weeks before the baby's birth." Jiji-san interrupted.

"She convinced me." Kana muttered.

"Your wife? Convinced you to what?"

"She made me believe. You can't kill that baby, Tou-san!" Kana yelled at his father. He turned around to face him.

"Segare-san, what are you talking about? We wont tell her that it was your decision. She doesn't have to know. After the baby is dead, we will bring her to light and then we can-

"You can't kill my baby! I wont let you!" Kana screamed. Now, nobody in the village was taller than Kumi's Jiji-san, not even the other Zuka. His skills as a warrior went above any of those in his time. He was praised for his good height and remarkable skill since childhood, and that made him proud. His pride made him stand even taller still, so whenever Kana turned to him he felt belittled; he even felt it to the point of submission on many of his unwanted decisions. Not this decision. Kana had ripped out of his modest and meek appearance and stood tall screaming into the old man's face.

"Kana, I'm warning you-

Kana lost all sense of submissiveness and snatched Jiji-san's collar without warning, dragging Jiji-san down to his own level and he glared fiercely into the old man's eyes. "No! I'm warning you! If you touch Inari I will kill-

In that very moment, Jiji-san's powerful arm shot out and whipped across his segare-san's face knocking him off of Jiji-san, then sent a powerful kick through his stomach to thrust him backwards and into the air, out of the house, where he landed on the hard ice outside. Kana's hands jolted to his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around it while he turned onto his side, gasping desperately for breath.

Jiji-san walked over to Inari and bent down next to her, feeling her belly gently. "Her body is larger since then, so it's true."

"Please! Reikoku, don't harm anyone! We'll inform Shimokage-sama." Ōbaa-san pleaded with her husband while he examined the young woman closely. The doctor stood and rushed outside to Kana, who was still gasping frantically for a breath of air.

"I will take care of this on my own, Kanojo-chan. It's about time this village saw its share of self-sufficiency." Jiji-san blurted.

"Don't call me Kanojo while our son is bearing a strike from his Ōtou-san…" She accused softly. "Take the man and his girl to the Shimokage, or you will have to beat me too." After her voice took on a more self-assured tone, he looked up at her. When he saw that her eyes were unchanging, Jiji slid his hands under the woman and lifted her up, his eyes never leaving his wife's, as though waiting for an insecurity in her eyes to alert him to strike and defend his cause. Ōbaa-san wouldn't give it to him; instead she turned and went outside to aid her son as he struggled to stand.

Once a shoulder was under his arm, Kana stood tall and jerked his head towards Jiji. "We're going to the Shimokage, Kana-chan." Ōbaa-san mumbled.

"Give me my wife." Was all Kana offered in response, and his mother looked up at Jiji expectantly.

"He'll run, Konki-chan. You know he'll do it." Jiji persuaded, and Ōbaa-san looked down in agreement. Kana glowered at Jiji, but he looked indifferent. "You will stay, but only while I hold her."

The doctor tried to remain out of the way, he was an old family friend, but he could feel the building tension and didn't want to test their acceptance.

There was a long silence as the five of them passed through the streets of Shimogakure, and it felt as though people were watching them. Kana glared at every house that fell behind them as they walked, glared at every young man and old lady whose eyes followed them on their gloomy journey. All of these people, every last one of them had wanted for the baby's death, had waited and prayed for the decree that was soon enforced. It was the decree that sentenced his blind wife's blameless child to death, even before he could feel his mother's deliberate touch, before he saw her tender smile, or heard his father's praise. They wanted the boy to die before he even understood that he was loved.

"This is exactly what the Bone village wanted; a stubborn and tenacious father to deliver the monster from justice." Jiji sneered.

"No one knows why the beast was contained in it. Perhaps to destroy the village after it's mother birthed it in secrecy, as we all assume, or perhaps they wanted to use it to start riots on its execution even before its birth. Either way, that's exactly what you're giving them." Ōbaa-san suggested.

"That monster should die. That's an easy way to settle it."

"My baby is not a monster!" Kana yelled at his father. Ōbaa took her gaze off of the two and let it drift from stone to stone on the street. Kana jerked his head in her direction, "Nor is he an it!"

"You shouldn't have gotten attached to it… segare-san." Ōbaa spoke softly.

The rest of the walk was left in silence, and soon they approached the town square where the office building of the Shimokage stood in sight. At the foot of the building, the Shimokage was standing patiently, with a look of worry painted across his tired face. He took a step forward and raised his arms out to hold the sickly lady in place of Jiji. Jiji-san met his request and laid the girl on his arms. Now finding himself free to do so, Jiji bowed towards the Shimokage and opened his mouth to speak,

"The baby." Jiji offered.

"I thought as much." Shimokage-sama said, turning around. With an anxious grimace, Kana shoved out of Ōbaa-san's supportive grasp and stepped towards the keeper of his pregnant bride.

"Where are you taking her to?!" Kana voiced. Shimokage-sama turned to face the defensive husband and father, and nodded comfortingly.

"Inside, to rest." He said slowly.

"She hasn't awoken since my son gave her the herbs…" Kana recalled aloud.

"Ah… the herbs. Yes, it seems she is in a very deep sleep indeed." Shimokage examined Inari before turning to walk into the building.

"Is there anything you can do?" Kana said as he followed him in.

"Let me see." The Shimokage responded. The six of them walked slowly through the halls, each with their own choir of thoughts entertaining words that they chose not to mouth.

"The herbs weren't deadly. They were just the wrong kind. Kumi-chan was told to give her twenty batches of Futaba no Ubuge, but instead he gave her a plant that was to be used in six batches. The amount had the potential to kill her, but now I'm not sure what they'll do. At any rate, it can't be good for the baby, if we want it, and she can't give birth while she's asleep." The doctor explained to him.

"Thank you, you may go now if you wish." Said the Shimokage. The doctor looked almost grateful for the excuse to leave them as he walked quickly towards the door. "Don't tell anyone about the baby, if I find that you did then there will be consequences." Shimokage-sama added. The doctor gave them one last glance and a nod before closing the door behind himself, "So, your son, I overheard from some eavesdroppers that he ran."

"He will return. I know, because we're alike. I will look for him later, if he cannot find the way. I'm more concerned about the unborn one." He said

"The birth wont be a problem if you execute the monster now." Jiji explained.

"Thank you for your advice Reikoku-san." Shimokage responded softly. In that moment Kana's gaze shifted to Shimokage's eyes and he glowered deeply.

"You aren't going to listen to him are you?!" He shouted fiercely at Shimokage-sama.

"No." Was all the response the elder gave him.

"Then what is your decision, if you don't mind me asking, Shimokage-sama?" Jiji muttered impatiently.

"It's not my decision."

"You aren't seriously going to offer this choice to Kana-chan are you?" Jiji almost snapped.

"I've decided to drop my position," The second old man replied, "I have chosen another leader for Shimogakure." All three of the others almost halted in their steps and watched as the man continued to walk unresponsively down the hall. Kana consulted with the ground; this could be good news or very bad news. If there were a new leader to be chosen, then the decision would have to wait until after the exchange, and by then his boy might already be born. Yet again, if the new Shimokage wasn't as merciful as the current, then his baby might still be in danger. Either way it meant more time, which was good news alone.

"How can you end your term now?" Jiji retorted.

"The village has been falling into many new and difficult times of late, and I'm just not as young as I used to be. I'm too old to understand the new ways of the world, and the power of human sacrifice is something that is a part of the new world."

"What is the power of human sacrifice?" Kana-san inquired patiently. His interest in the conversation was perking as fast as Jiji's was declining. Of course, Jiji would probably hold his reputation of keeping his nails in the Cliffside until they fell off, so his declining authority in the decision would be a trouble Kana-san hoped the former Shimokage could deal with.

"It is a part of the process in sealing a beast to a human that is necessary for complete finalization." The former answered.

"Someone had to be sacrificed for the monster to be in my son?" Kana looked confused at the thought, "All of the bodies of dead Shimogakure villagers have been recovered, that means they must have used one of their own people, why would they sacrifice someone from their own side?"

"They haven't." Former Shimokage stated.

"Then the sealing hasn't been finalized? Then there's a chance for my son to have a normal life!" Kana said almost excitedly.

"The seal will be completed." The former said.

"But they didn't sacrifice. That means the seal is unstable, that means the beast can be removed." Kana tried to explain, but the former only shook his head.

"You don't know what that means do you?" The former recognized, "If the beast is not either killed or kept inside the boy, it will be released into our dimension, and Shimogakure will taste its rage."

"Then let be released in the wild, where it wont come to Shimogakure."

"We can't do that. That would set the other people in the world up for danger and harm, possibly arousing attention towards us. Attention means war or fierce negotiation at the cost of Shimogakure, which is nothing that I or the new Shimokage can deal with." The old man replied.

"Then we'll release it in secret!" Kana tried.

"Either way, the boy will die. The release of a tailed beast has been seen before, and it always ends with death, in both deliberate extraction and incomplete seals." The former's words hit Kana across the heart and his expression showed it. The old man noticed and watched him knowingly, "The seal will be completed," he repeated.

"You said that before. What do you mean when you say that? You couldn't possibly want to sacrifice someone in this village. I would offer myself!" Kana tried again, but the old man only laughed a bit before responding,

"Kana-san, you have a sick wife and a young son, possibly two; they cannot live alone, they need you." He said.

"Then what are you saying, if I can't offer myself, then who would?" Kana questioned.

"A young lady you once knew." The former said while he gazed off.

"I know and have known many young ladies, what kindhearted woman do you speak of Jiji-sama?" Kana inquired. Yet the old man remained silent on their walk, and only the sound of their echoing footsteps could be heard midst the quiet. Kana concentrated hard, but none of the women he knew, or had ever known would give their life for a child they didn't know, who might even risk their villager's lives. When Kana gave up thinking he noticed that Jiji-san was no longer there, he didn't even remember the man being there when he learned about the sacrifice. Suddenly Ōbaa-san gasped,

"Kana-chan, your wife! Inari!" She whispered loudly into Kana's ear.

"What about her?" Kana asked silently.

"Correct, Inari is the young lady I speak of." Said the former.

"But lord Shimokage, she doesn't even know what you've been deciding! You can't just do that to her, I don't even know if she'd want it! I don't know if I'd want it!" Kana desperately explained.

"She came up with the idea herself." He replied calmly, "I had visited her hospital room on the behalf of the new Shimokage, who had decided that it would be best for her to know about the problem with the seal. It had always been a part of the Bone village's, Honegakure's, plan to leave the baby with an incomplete seal, so that upon birth the beast would be released into the village and destroy everything in sight. Shimokage chose to tell Inari, but no one had suspected that she would offer herself. We tried to explain to her the consequences, in order to test if she was being truthful with herself about how much the child was worth to her. You should know Inari better than any of us, when she made up her mind there was nothing any of us could say to change it." He paused for a moment and looked over to Ōbaa-san, "I think its become personal enough." Ōbaa nodded and turned to leave, "If you would, please keep the baby's survival a secret with your husband."

"But Inari told me that she tricked you into thinking our baby was dead, she convinced me to keep it a secret with her." Kana explained.

"Ah… Inari is a smart girl isn't she? When the decision was made, we all knew it would be difficult to convince you to let your wife pass. Yet again, for all we knew the baby could have been due in just a month, so we had little time to think. We already knew that the village could never know about the child's survival. Like last time, it was also Inari who came up with the idea of telling you we thought the child was dead. She knew you would grow to love the baby again if you could keep it a secret with her. She knew you would talk to her about it, and she planned out deep conversations to have with you to fertilize your love for the child. We left her to it, and here we are now. All that's left is to give your own side of the story. Will you let her make the sacrifice? Will you allow the trade?" He asked quietly.

"This is how she honestly feels about it?" Kana asked, as he surveyed his young wife, still in the gentle care of his elder.

"I tell you the truth. She wants nothing less than for her husband and his two sons to live on in her stead." He replied.

"And the village? Is Shimogakure going to accept this?" Kana questioned tentatively.

"Shimokage-sama approved the idea and wishes to make it his first act as leader of the village." Said the former.

"Inari has always been difficult to please. She isn't impressed with flowers or jewelry. She's always been secure about her appearance ever since she was a child." Kana paused and chuckled lowly, "I could call her 'beautiful snow angel', and she would reply 'I know'. First tone always obnoxiously higher than the second. I could tell her how loved she is and she'd say 'I know'. She does know, she always has known, she's beautiful and strong and loved, the only thing I've ever been able to impress her with is when we had our first son, Kumi. She always loved being pregnant, even with our still daughter when we cried and cried she wanted to try again. She said that if we did, that our baby girl would be alive inside the next child. I believe her. This is all I can give her, I want her to have her child." Kana and the former both smiled in unison, "Please be careful with them when you make the sacrifice."

"I have always wanted to keep my village as protected as possible, your child is no lesser part of this village than my own children." He said with a growing grin, "I know it will be difficult for you. The new Shimokage will be announced after the child's birth, he and I will both know well about him, so will the elders, none of the children or adults of the village will know of your child's seal. We will keep your wife until the birth."

"My wife died from her pregnancy illness with the dead baby inside of her, and I took her to the Shimokage so he could plan a funeral for her."

"The council feels for your loss and will present you will present you with an orphaned child from the war." The former added.

"That will do. My son shouldn't know about the baby, and he'll be relieved somewhat to know it wasn't his fault that his mother died." Kana said softly.

"Keep yourselves busy with the child, let the baby take both of your minds off of her death." The former responded. Kana nodded and turned his head away from the elder. Then he quickly returned it and his eyes were filled with worry,

"What about the birth! She can't give birth like this, you have to use surgery Jiji-sama, and you must!" Kana cried. The elder looked concerned, he rounded one last corner and opened a door on the right wall, it led to a room with a cot that he unfolded and laid Inari gently upon. Then he faced Kana and shook his head.

"We cannot use surgery, the sacrifice of the mother of the child must be made during the natural birth, or it cannot be made at all." He said

"But the herbs, she can't do it when she's asleep!" Kana panicked.

"Doesn't your wife sleepwalk?" the elder asked.

"Yes. I don't understand. What are you trying to get at?" Kana questioned.

"Your Ōtou-san is a very talented Genjutsu user. If he could be convinced to practice it on Inari, then she may be able to give birth in a dream, and act it in life." He explained; he seemed as though he was making it up as he went along.

"That's crazy!" Kana yelled.

"There is nothing left that we can do, Kana-san, this is all we have as an option." He tried to explain.

"Then do it, please…" He whispered, "That child is all she has left, nothing can go wrong."

"Please go and find your son, it is late and if he goes unconscious he will be covered by tonight's storm. I will ensure your family's safety, please trust me as your Shimokage as you have before." He said gently. Kana looked at his young wife, asleep on the cot with no knowledge of their conversation. He hoped that she would know that everything was going to be alright, he hoped that he was going to be there in the dream, standing beside her with a comforting hand on her shoulder and a soft voice telling her that her baby was going to be all right, he was going to take care of him no matter what.


	4. Kosuke

Kosuke

Kana stepped out of the house again, this time he was dressed in his warrior clothes and was prepared to go into the birthing storm. For the moment, there were only small flurries propelled by the growing winds, and the ground was being lightly sprinkled with fresh icy dust. The chill wasn't as harsh when they had a storm, but the snow melting on a warm body could wet a man's clothes and skin and evaporate in the dryness, stealing heat in mere seconds. The young man plodded along atop the crunching snow and headed in the direction he remembered his son leaving in.

The sky was clouded over with colossal masses of gray and white, and the birds were flying away twittering their warning cries as they faded into the distant skies. It would definitely be a big one. It wasn't as though a Zuka getting caught in a blizzard was just like a normal person being in a rainstorm; just because they could maintain a regular body temperature in the cold, didn't mean that they couldn't be buried in an avalanche or fall into a crevasse in the blinding weather. It was still very harsh, and even more so for a Zuka child. All this made Kana's movements speed up into a run as he scanned the slick white surface of the valley. Kumi-chan wouldn't have gone far, or at least Kana hoped he wouldn't have.

The snow flurry was raising a difficulty by now, as it blocked his vision and he couldn't see past forty feet away from himself and Kana was beginning to feel genuine anxiety. He wondered if he should have set out earlier, then he cursed himself for even thinking of it; his new baby and his wife were both the bigger concern back there.

After another half-hour of walking he began only to rely on voice, struggling to overpower the surging winds' deafening howls and whistles. He called out endlessly for his segare-san, but all he heard in response was the thickening storms' voices screaming out in competitive spite for his own.

Kana gave up the calls he forced from his throat and let the last echo return with the vicious screeches of the gusts. Closing his eyes, he spread out his arms and legs into a stance that looked like a freeze from an ancient dance. The position was best for letting heat conduction and radiation spread through his body, he had known it ever since Jiji taught it to him after Kana had graduated from academy. He concentrated his energy and began building up an icy mass of frozen energy in his chest. The bulb of frigid coldness threatened to explode, but Kana locked it there and kept dropping it's temperature waiting for just the right amount.

When the arctic mass was cold enough, Kana willingly let it burst from his body out into the merciless storm. The snow turned to hail and pelted down relentlessly, freezing more and more until the clouds themselves iced over and plummeted from the sky, their tiny pieces shattering on the now frozen ground.

Kana opened his eyes and looked around, the clearing that he had created in the storm was near two hundred feet in diameter, but he still saw no signs of his son. He rushed swiftly over to where the edges of the clearing were and began congealing another ball of coldness inside of himself as he ran. When he reached the border he slowly released the energy and directed it at the sky. The clouds above him poured down in beads of melting ice, not strong enough to harm anyone. He ran, aiming the cold at the clouds in front and to the sides, pushing his search deeper into the valley.

Using this technique threatened his energy level, and made it impossible to hear anything above the shattering of the clouds' now frozen particles. Yet it gave him a good view around him as he passed through the storm's scornful bulk. His feet carried him over the slippery terrain without a single loss of footing, as his eyes searched the expanse for any signs of life.

He could hear the voice of his whitechild in his head screaming for his daddy, wailing about his mother's death. Kana was reminded that Kumi would never be the same after his mother's passing, he was her treasured child, her only child, he got her attention more than anyone else's in the world. The two of them would drink, sleep, talk, and eat with each other every day and night of their lives. It was only recently that his sweet mother was first kidnapped, and then bedridden, and even in those times he was either distracted by the war or taking care of her.

For now, Kana just wanted to find his son, and take him back home to his safe bed and tell him that it wasn't his fault. He wanted to tell him that there would be a surprise visitor, who might stay forever if he was good. He could picture his sons laughing together as they grew older, he imagined Kumi teaching the child how to fight and wash and talk to girls. Kumi shouldn't have to be concerned about his mother when such a great future was ahead of them. Once he got over it he would see that her love was reflected in the new child and would grow to love him as he had loved her. Then they could train together and when they both were graduated, all three of them could go on missions for the village. They could keep each other in check while they imported medicines from foreign lands or went out to represent their village in a peace treaty affair.

As all of these thoughts passed in and out of Kana's head, not one of them reminded him of the monster.

"Mama!"

Suddenly, Kana could hear a distant cry calling out from the expanse to his right. The voice snapped him back into reality where he found himself standing without the aid of his technique in the middle of the blizzard, he must have lost track of his own movements and ran into the snow without thinking. Whatever deity had allowed him to strike such fortune; he thanked now, and ran into the direction of the familiar voice.

There in the blur of frost lay his son, on his face, shaking, and bleeding from the forehead. Kana rushed to his side and knelt by him, turning him over onto his side carefully.

"Ōtou-san…" Kumi looked dazedly into his father's face, "I'm okay, go away. I want mama."

"Kumi. Mama's going to be alright. Can you stand?" Kana offered a hand to his son, but Kumi wouldn't take it. The young boy tried to stand on his own, pushing his legs under his body and trying to lift himself up. Kana could see the frost on his face, from where there had been tearstains. The blood on his forehead was already starting to crust into ice, and Kana reached out to wipe it away. Kumi pushed his father's hand away, but the imbalance in weight caused him to slip and he fell backwards onto his back.

Kana stood and went behind his child, trying to scoop him up off of the ice and into his warm arms.

"Stop!" Kumi shouted. "I can do it, I don't want to be annoying! I'm brave, Ōtou-san!" Kana could see that his son was worn out and too shaky to walk on the ice all the way back to the village.

"I know you are. I saw you yesterday. You did everything I said without pause, when I told you to get the wrong herbs." He emphasized the word 'I', even though he knew it was a lie.

"You mean it wasn't my fault?" Kumi said weakly.

"I didn't mean to tell you to get the wrong ones, Kumi." Kana whispered as he moved to scoop Kumi up again.

"I know mom will forgive you." Kumi managed.

"So, will you give me a turn to be brave?" Kana said softly as he held out his arms.

"Yes." Kumi almost seemed relieved by the thought of being carried, and he nearly collapsed into his father hold. Kana lifted him up and held him tight, just as a father should. It took a lie, but he had managed to calm him. Maybe later, he could tell him of his mother's death, though it was not yet to come until labor.

He clutched his son firmly and drew him into his own warmth, walking slowly back towards the village.

Kumi's mother had died from her illness that night, while he slept in his bed, or so he was told. Supposedly, medics wanted to investigate the illness before they held a funeral for the lady. So her survival remained a secret while she slept, waiting for the day her baby would be born.

Kumi's eyes would not dry; he could not take his mind off of the memories of her scent and smile, everyplace that he had been with her now haunted him. Kana gave him every reason he could find to distract him from the loss. Yet Kumi didn't even seem excited about a visitor coming to stay with them, he locked himself in his room and only left when he was needed. School was an even greater issue though, as he found himself closing off from the other trainees.

Kana did everything in his power to keep Kumi out of depression; they went out hunting more often than they ever had before, and Kumi was often sent out to his grandmother's house whenever his Ōtou-san was away from home.

The former Simokage had promised to persuade Jiji into the plan of using his elite Genjutsu, and finally the day came when Kana received a summoning to the Shimokage. His wife was in labor.

Kana ran through the village streets until he stood at the foot of the medical center, where a secret room had been prepared for the delivery. Kana was both excited and terrified of the upcoming event. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he looked up and down the structure before bursting in through the front doors; he would not let Inari be without her husband for even a second of the delivery.

As he hurried through the halls his heart pounded in his chest, rattling what assurance he had left. He turned to the hall where the door was marked as the messenger said it would be. Kana placed his shaky hand on the handle of the door; this would be a life-changing experience, he could taste it in the air, but nothing could stop him from going through it. Kana had promised that he would be there, so he was going to be there. He slid the door open and closed it swiftly behind himself.

The cries of his wife could be heard, but she was not in sight yet. Kana passed through the small hall before making the last turn into an attached room at the end of the walkway. Kana passed through the curtain that hindered his view.

The room was a small one, with no window, and a large hospital bed was set up against the wall, with three sides open to the viewers. There was one doctor there, assisted by his three nurses, the former Shimokage stood at one side of Inari's bed and next to him stood Reikoku. Reikoku was positioned with one hand over Inari's forehead, and the other in an energy concentrating hand symbol. Inari's pained expressions could be seen clearly from where Kana watched. Her face was like nothing he had ever seen before, though she was covered with sweat and bore an aggrieved look, she looked more beautiful to him than ever before.

When Kana entered the room, the former Shimokage walked swiftly over to him, seeming to notice some sort of depression in Kana's eyes.

"Today is a day to celebrate and be joyful." He offered. Kana hadn't expected this comment; he was already celebrating and thought it was obvious on his face.

"She is beautiful." Kana whispered gently. "How is that possible when she's in so much pain?"

"Inari's actions are beautiful…" the former admired the young girl in the bed; it was obvious from the faint smile that brightened his tired face. Kana couldn't help but smile as well.

"She's going to die…" Kana stuttered, tears kept falling down his face. His eyes only seemed to want to obey his emotions as they rained and poured down his pale white face.

"Kana-san, think of a name." The former suggested quickly. Kana-san had completely forgotten about the name that would be needed for his son. He only had so many names floating around in his mind, and probably only around five hours to decide. His mind danced through the memories of Inari's talks with him; there weren't any names that she had suggested ever. Kana smiled bigger; she must have planned it, planned all along for Kana to be forced to name the child without her.

Inari's contractions began to arise closer and closer to each other and the nurse announced that the baby was on its way; the plan was working! Though her eyes stayed shut and she spoke no words, her mind was controlling the need to birth the baby. This could be the only time in all of the earth's lifespan that a woman had given birth in her sleep. Kana hoped that the pain would be lessened since it was in her dream.

The nurses rushed to and fro, trying to apply pressure to areas on her body that would encourage movement, just to help the technique along. The doctor watched patiently and arranged the equipment for the baby's cleansing, which would be extensive for a Zuka newborn. Zuka's had very gentle and delicate processes for the baby, which would automatically reduce the risk of any post-birth illnesses.

The pre-birthing labor took almost two hours, and it was noticeably over when the doctor said that her baby's head was visible. Kana's eyes filled up and spilled over again when he heard the news and he held on tightly to the ends of his shirt, trying to suppress more from forming.

The former leaned over the cot above Inari's ached body, and laid a scroll out over her abdomen. When Kana noticed he bit his lip and exchanged his line of sight with Inari's wet face. He could sense that the former was gathering an enormous amount of energy above the open scroll, and after a while he could hear the old man begin chanting.

Kana's eyes shut tight, and he listened intently to all that was said, waiting for a specific sound that he had heard the first time. It took almost an hour before he heard it, the shuddering cries of his new son as he entered the world that hated him. Kana kept his eyes shut, this was the moment that the former was going to have to finish the technique. Kana focused on all of the names he had ever heard before, all of the random strangers and close relatives.

He could hear the nurses and doctor's countdown for the birth, one arm, two arms, chest, knees, one foot…

Kana opened his eyes to the bright room. He opened them to the excited movements of the nurses. He opened them to a lifeless young girl on a cot, and began to shut them again. Before he let them shut he looked to his newborn baby, and couldn't take his eyes off of him. The doctor held the tiny delicate baby in her tender grasp; the boy was so small and innocent.

His son's hands were curled into little fists, his face was pure snowy white once the blood was cleared away, and his feet weren't any bigger than Kana's pinky finger. His heart forced his eyes to clear the tears so he could see his son with perfect vision, there was a painful stoke of joy in his body and he could have sworn he felt a baby girl's eyes watching him from inside his son's quivering body. Kana reached out gently toward the doctor.

One of the nurses laid a blanket across Kana's arms and the doctor placed the newborn into his father's arms. Kana closed them around the baby, as though he was made of weak, delicate glass.

"I've been waiting for you. Your mother and I have been worried sick about you. But don't worry anymore; I will always take care for you. I love you. I promise, I will always be watching over you, until the day I die." Kana cradled his treasure with his arms and his heart.

After the nurses said that they were done, they rolled the cot away and Kana was left alone in the room with his segure-san. He held him closely for a long while, until he heard the baby's cries totally diminish. Then he laid him in a crib with strict care, and sat on a chair next to him. He didn't care about the smell; he didn't take any of his focus off of the newborn.

He didn't take any of his focus off of the newborn, until a distinct sound caught his ear. He had only one second to block the knife that was flung into Kosuke's crib; it hit the floor the same second he had stood in the same that it had been flung.

"Who's there?! I swear I will kill you!" He screamed into the curtain.

You would kill your own father?" Kana could hear Jiji's voice from behind the curtain. His mind went almost immediately into shock. He had thought about Jiji doing something obstructive before, but when Jiji didn't do anything back when they took his wife to the former he had totally forgotten about him. The kunai knife clinked loudly on the floor before settling, and soon after another was thrown. This snapped Kana back into reality; he had promised to protect his son until the day he died, Jiji was not going to kill his baby.

The second Kunai knife clanked on the hard tile floor and Kana rushed for the curtain, moving to strike Jiji with his own knife. Jiji had stepped back by the time Kana ripped down the curtain with his knife, and he looked almost amused at his son's stance.

"Are you going to try to kill me?" Jiji scoffed, "I'm only slaying the village monster." Kana took a step back and looked around the room again. He was trying to find something, anything that he could throw or break to make a loud noise; Jiji was stronger than he and Kana would need help to save the baby. Nothing appeared to be of any use, if there had been a window it would have been easy to attract attention, but for now the room was bare of all delicate equipment.

"Somebody help!" Kana screamed desperately, "Get help!" The baby instantly started crying, and though Kana didn't want the baby to be disturbed, he knew that screams and a baby's wails would bring anyone to his room now. Jiji noticed what Kana was trying to do and lashed out towards him with full force. There was no joke on Jiji, his seventy-year-old body was still very powerful and his punches were of no lesser strength. Kana raised his arms defensively and tried to catch Jiji's punch.

There were several large cracking sounds as Jiji's fist landed in one of Kana's open palms. Kana couldn't feel the full of it until near ten second afterwards, when he could feel the misplaced bones jutting into his muscles. Kana shouted in pain, but kept his stance trying to step forward to force Jiji away from his baby.

Footsteps and loud voices could be heard in the hallway and Jiji's face lit with panic, he forced Kana off of him and lunged towards the crib, pulling out a kunai. Kana's fist whipped across Jiji's face and knocked him into a corner, where he lay with blood pouring from his nose. Kana reached gently into the crib and retrieved his baby holding it tightly and turning towards the door.

The former had been speaking with a few of the nurses when he heard the cries. He dropped the cup of tea he held in his hand and turned towards the ceiling. Right above them was where the hidden room had been, it was one of the most soundproof rooms in the entire hospital. The former stood immediately and looked around. Jiji had been sitting in a corner of the waiting room reading a magazine, not anymore. The former rushed towards the doors to go further into the hospital, and he began hurrying to the stairs. Jiji may have been strong but he was never a match for the Shimokages, the strongest ninjas in the village.

He bolted through the hall and dashed up the stairs, he turned the corners to the room and called over a few of the warrior ninja rushing to the room. The ten of them burst through the door and passed swiftly through the small hallway.

Past the shredded curtain they could survey the scene, Kana lay in a corner bleeding severely from his nose, he appeared to be barely conscious while Jiji held the baby threateningly in his rough hands. The child was run through with a kunai and the blood dripped down its cloth wrap onto the floor. The former watched in panic, and while he was stunned one of the other ninja took things into their own hands.

The warrior took out a kunai and threw it at Jiji.

The former finally caught on to what was going on, and just as soon as he knew the genjutsu was there it faded from sight and all of them could see the mistake. Kana held the baby in his arms leaning weakly against the wall with a kunai lodged deep in his chest, blood spilled from his mouth and nose sprinkling onto the baby he held so protectively. Kana slid down the wall and sat on the floor looking over at the former in sheer desperation. Jiji lay in the corner where they had thought they had seen Kana.

Former Shimokage ran to Kana and dropped down next to him, he looked at the baby and Kana looked up at him. Kana's arms went limp and fell to his sides as Shimokage took the child into his own hands. Kana breathed heavily and slowly, trying to form words.

"Take care of her. Take care of my son Kosuke."


	5. Child

Child

The little boy turned his head over on his overstuffed pillow. He couldn't sleep; his head was overflowing with thoughts. It didn't really matter to him whether or not he slept anyway, he could already feel his strength returning, it was easy to go for days without sleep. The young boy waited and listened for any sound of the morning birds, but there were none, and it was winter time so there was no way to tell if it was day or night otherwise, at least not out here on the bottom of the world. His bored eyes scanned the room; kids at school had told him that it was a haunted room, because his grandfather had committed suicide in it the same day that Kosuke was born. It was probably true, but Kosuke didn't care much. There wasn't much of a reason to be afraid, especially when he had so many other things to think about. He hadn't trained in a while and he wanted to just get up already so he could go to the bathhouse and clean up before going out to his training area. Yet again, his caretaker, Daisuke, had told him to stay in bed until it was morning, or until he could hear the morning birds calling.

Daisuke didn't really care about Kosuke though; he seemed to just want him to stay in bed as long as possible. Kosuke knew it was true, he wasn't paranoid; Daisuke let his hate for the young Zuka show plainly most of the time. Kosuke could remember overhearing terrible rumors that Daisuke had spread to the other villagers. He told them that Kosuke was the reason that Kana, his father, had died, and since not many people knew about how Kana had actually died, they believed him. Kosuke also believed him sometimes, he thought that he was the one to have killed his own Ōtou-san. It only made sense; when he heard the stories of his pretoddler years he really did sound like a nightmare. Yet, Kosuke could sense that there was an even greater reason that they hated him so. Almost everyone in the village showed him icy eyes after Daisuke had started it, but Kosuke tried not to care. If he really was a monster, then he didn't have to care, he was above them all, stronger, smarter, and he showed it in school almost every day.

Still, Kosuke couldn't help but cry every time he thought no one was looking, nobody wanted to be around him. Kosuke had asked many people how to repent from the things he had done while still a baby, but they all just cursed at him or tried to ignore him. Daisuke had told him that he was supposed to have died long ago and that fate would always be out to get him, where it hadn't gotten him before. He heard about his mother, Inari, who died bringing him into the world. The villagers told him that his parents were both very kind but they were driven mad by their unborn child, Kosuke. They had tried to keep him a secret child that Kana would care for as a supposedly adopted baby. Though when Kana and the former Shimokage had both died the secret was let out without the current Shimokage's permission. Now everyone in the village, who was over twelve, knew about the demon inside of Kosuke. Kosuke and the other kids his age had no idea of the demon's existence and so they just hated Kosuke because their parents told them to. Even orphaned kids knew the rumors about Kosuke being insane and evil, their friends had spread the story as a terror tale for dark and stormy nights.

Finally, the calls of the morning birds began to ring out in the silent darkness and Kosuke stood up immediately to light a candle on a dresser in his room. He walked quickly over to a cushion where his daywear lay. At least he wasn't poor; the clothes were very intricate and beautiful, as a Zuka's clothes should be. He scooped them up and walked to the door, but when he tried to open it he found that it was locked. This had happened before, so Kosuke ignored it and went to the window to climb out, since he was on only the second floor. He took a white cloak out from a drawer in his dresser and draped it around himself before climbing through the window he had opened, down to the cold ground below.

People were watching him quietly, they whispered to each other about the strange actions of the young Zuka boy. Kosuke passed through the streets, ignoring their cruel gestures and gossiping, heading towards the distant bathhouse. Once he stood at the foot of the building he pushed aside the doors and entered walking slowly through the decorated main hall and over to the men's wing of the house. He passed quietly through the halls with his hood pulled low over his white face. Once he reached his washroom he slid open the door and stepped inside shutting it silently behind him.

He pulled off his cloak and hung it on a hook near the mirror, and then he stood in front of his reflection while he undressed out of his nightclothes and undergarments. He looked over his face and scolded himself inwardly for the tearstains; he hadn't even realized he had been crying that night, and the stains would harm his complexion someday. His long, silken, white hair flowed along his back loosely, cutting off after around five inches below his waistline. He had an extremely thin body and it was completely white; he needed to eat more to keep up some shape, then again he was only seven so it wasn't that important yet. Two long cuts ran along his sides from when he had tried to sneak out to train the other day, they weren't quite healed yet, but they would heal faster than anyone else's cuts in the village, considering the beast gave him the power to do so.

First things first, Kosuke walked over to the sink and took a special bottle out of the cabinet near it. He turned his head to face the ceiling and let five droplets fall into each of his eyes, before he shut them gently and massaged special points around them. With his head still tilted upwards he pulled a bandage off of the sink's counter and wrapped it tightly around his eyes fastening it in the back. Then he walked over to a tub in the back of the washroom and placed its stool next to it so he could lean in and begin filling it with water. He could easily reach in without using the stool, considering he was around four feet and two inches tall, but he didn't want to stress the healing wounds on his sides.

Once the tub was brimming he placed his hands on the sides of the rim and warmed it to the point of rising steam, then he stepped in gently and sat down. The water stung his cuts and it hurt like hell, but Kosuke was adjusted to ignoring that kind of pain as he sat absorbing the warmth of the water. He dunked his head into the warm fragrant water to soak his hair and stayed under for a long while. Sounds of his shifting under the surface quieted and made way for an enchanting silence. Now that he was down under, Kosuke wanted to stay embraced in the warmth of the water forever. He had heard about some of the female Zuka drowning themselves in their tubs because they thought that they weren't pretty enough. They had at least one of their friends go into the washroom with them and they would be drowned so as to not shame their clan. Yet, Kosuke saw many beautiful girls going to their washrooms to be drowned, so he recognized by now that the girls were just overly concerned to the point of being suicidal. Such occurrences were reasons that so few women populated the village.

Kosuke himself almost felt like drowning, being drowned in an essence of life almost sounded poetic. Yet again, Kosuke did have a reason to live; he had tricked himself out of suicide many times by telling himself that, before he could die, he needed to know the real reason that his villagers hated him so.

Kosuke burst from the warmth of his tub and took in a few deep breaths before sitting back down. He let the heat become absorbed into his body while he sat there, breathing in the herbal scent that the warm water had taken on. By the time his muscles were relaxed enough the medicine in his eyes was fully absorbed and he untied the bandages, laying them on the small low table next to the bathtub. He picked out a few different soaps and applied them all to their proper areas before exchanging them all for shampoo and conditioner. Once his hair was brushed and conditioned he dipped and rinsed the remnants of the mixtures and stood to drain the tub and dry off.

His instant bodily heat dried his hair and he brushed it out again before turning to his sink to cleanse his face more thoroughly. His white eyes stared eerily back at him from the depths of his reflection, the same eyes that had brought fortune to the first Shimokage brought him only wishes of death and hate with an unknown origin from his villagers. Yet they were still beautiful.

Kosuke took his clothes to the trough in the back of the washroom and cleaned them carefully before drying them. Then he slipped them on and stood in front of his refection again. He looked inharmoniously charming; his hair fell in long strands and painted white over the shoulders and back of his decorative garment, and his complexion almost radiated a stunning bright pallor.

He took another cloak from one of the hooks and adorned his outfit with its color and texture. Then he slipped out the door and walked quickly through the grand hall, heading for the front door.

Kosuke stepped out into the brisk coldness and wrapped his cloak tighter around his slim body as he treaded across the streets' cobblestones. After he had warmed himself up enough he let the shroud fall loosely around his body and continued his walk in silence. It was a silence that he had never been able to escape, and it dripped onto him uncomfortably as though the quiet was taunting his inability to interact with the villagers that stared at him.

A little girl by the entrance of a shop stood humming a tune while she savored a sucker and watched her mother sew a scarf, but her eyes fixed on Kosuke as he passed.

"Don't look at that boy, Chiya." Her mother snapped instantaneously.

"Why not?" Kosuke listened intently and slowed his pace trying to hear the mother's response.

"Because I told you to, and I'm your Kaa-san!" She answered harshly.

"I can if I want to." She retorted. Her mother snatched her by the wrist and forced her into the shop, closing the door behind them both.

Kosuke's gaze returned to the street and his almost brightened eyes slipped back into their apathetic appearance. He wanted to be seen by the child, no one around his age was allowed to be around him. Suddenly, there was a knocking sound coming from the shop; he turned towards it in curiosity to find the young girl sitting behind a window knocking loudly on the glass with a wide grin painted across her face. Kosuke smiled and watched her in interest as she popped the lolly into her hand and leaned forward to kiss the glass sweetly. Unable to suppress his joy at the good attention, Kosuke ran over to the window and put his hands on either side of her image. She pulled her face off of the glass and placed her own hands over his and licked the glass playfully. Kosuke laughed and put his finger where her tongue was.

The little girl turned around to face her angry mother and hopped away from the window in time for her to slam down the shade. Kosuke stopped smiling and turned away from the glass. He knew it was time to make his way back home. He would remember where the shop was; this was the first time someone had ever wanted to be around him. He wondered if they came there every morning and had only just noticed him on his daily walk. He hoped they did; he was beyond desperate for good attention and needed someone to talk to other than Daisuke, his hating caretaker.

He walked slowly back to his house and tried to think if she was someone he had seen in school. When she didn't come to mind he dismissed that she mustn't have been in training to become a warrior, either that or she was just in a different class. Either way, Kosuke felt a sense of hope pull away the dark curtains of the upcoming day and he could almost smile, though he was all alone.


	6. Monster

Monster

Kosuke pulled his hair up in a bun and quickly fastened it to prevent it from slipping, and then he pulled on his headband and turned casually towards his reflection. He didn't know why he even bothered looking anymore; his appearance was the same every day. He could get washed and dressed blindfolded and it would turn out the same: a pale handsome young boy with an apathetic face and a pretty outfit. How he looked didn't change what people thought of him. He could go out dressed as a beggar man and no one would care. People thought of him as a monster anyway, he might as well look like one, but as a Zuka he had a small sense of pride in the way he looked so he kept up a good appearance.

Kosuke left the room without his white cloak and walked obnoxiously down the center of the hallways as he made his way to the exit. He walked away from the bathhouse in the direction of his own small house, where he had lived by himself since Daisuke's death when he was ten. He only used the house to store things, cook food, and sleep, every other time of the day he could only be found training on the outskirts of the village. Of course, he trained entirely alone, since he had never been given teammates and he had never had any friends.

He stepped down the road and glared deeply at whoever dared to look at him. He was an expert at knowing who was looking at him. He could sense their icy eyes when he was miles away from the village, so it was simple to snap a cold uncomfortable glance in any direction he felt necessary.

After a while of walking in the calm dim sunlight he could see an old man dart out to approach him from one of the houses. The old man had a feeling of anxiety and fear about him; he looked around as though trying to ensure that no one else was watching. Kosuke watched the man threateningly as he stepped up in front on him.

"K-Kosuke-sama," The old man said respectfully, "I-I ha-have a favor, favor to ask of y-you if you are willing."

"What do you want?" Kosuke sighed while rolling his head impatiently. The man looked into his eyes and tried to gather more courage before continuing,

"M-my daughter. She- that is, I can't find her, I fear she may have gone out in last week's storm and I need help to look for her." He stuttered.

"How much?" Kosuke retorted intolerantly. The man looked at Kosuke's expectant face and shifted his feet.

"I was hoping, I mean, I needed it to be for free." He said slowly.

"I don't accept useless favors without pay, Jiji-chan, I want money not gratitude." Kosuke said, turning away from the man. The old man dropped to his knees and laid his hands out in front of himself. Kosuke glanced at his desperate position.

"Please!" The man cried, "I don't have any more money, I spent it all on searchers, but none of them could find her. Please, she's only ten! Only you have enough chakra to continue the search!"

"I'm sick of helping you people like a last resort pack mule." Kosuke said, turning away from the old man. He lay in the same position as Kosuke walked away down the street and disappeared from sight.

This had been the eleventh time this week that someone had pleaded for him to search for his or her kindred. Kosuke had accepted seven of the requests without pay and he was tired of searching. Though it bothered him somewhat, he knew that anyone else who had been trapped in last week's brutal storm would be dead by now, unless they were a Zuka.


End file.
